There are several examples of failed projects in the world. These projects either began as great ideas which could help the people living in those areas or they could add to the economy. However, they either managed to fail, or their operation was delayed because of reasons such as bad execution, insufficient research, and many others.
One such example of a failed project is the failure of Target in Canada. Target is one of the most popular retail stores in the United States which has been around for a long time. Known for its red bull’s eye logo, the store has attracted the attention of the masses by its lower prices and a wide range of products (Admin, 2015). Thus, it attracted the attention of many Canadians who crossed the border and purchased from Target in the U.S. This enabled Target to extend its market and open stores in the U.S. However the stores could not last for long as profits plummeted and market value decreased steadily. The reasons for failure were the unsatisfactory performance of the stores and the high comparative prices (Castaldo, 2016). 124 stores suffered a huge loss, as the empty shelves, unconventional locations, and the tedious merchandise shook away the customers (Wahba, 2015). The stores chanted the mantra “Buy more, pay less,” however what actually happened was that people paid less since they bought less. The accumulative losses of Target Canada were estimated to be $7 billion. The company suffered bankruptcy in Canada (Northrup, 2016).
The failure of Target Canada was evident because Target was not providing the same standards as it did in the States. Customers, especially the regular ones, who bought from American stores, could easily leverage the price differences; they could say so by checking online. Moreover, lack of merchandise and supplies needed in time made the store unpopular. Failure was obvious because a store cannot run unless the public’s expectations are not fulfilled.
A second failed project is the Flint Michigan-Water. The Flint Michigan Municipality has failed the public which has been denied the provision of clean water for two years, and the project is still in shambles (Ganim & Jorgensen, 2016). In a first world country, citizens and residents would automatically assume that their tap water would be safe for drinking. However, Flint Michigan has suffered since a few years as its manufacturing has stopped and the country is facing a lowered population, raised unemployment rates and many other social issues (Ganim & Jorgensen, 2016). Thus the city focused on saving and restructuring its costs. This also caused them to turn the water supply from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department whose initial water source was Lake Huron and Detroit River to the Karegnondi Water Authority. They resourced water from Flint River. This was supposed to save $5 million (Admin, 2016). Yet, this project was a failure because the authorities had overlooked the matter of lead leaching into the clean water which was being supplied to the residents and was contaminating and poisoning their water supplies (Devereaux & Bdeverea, 2016).
The reason was the old water pipes, corroding water inhibitors and lack of treatment processes which were causing the metals to leach from pipes to the water (Devereaux & Bdeverea, 2016). Drinking this water was a health hazard for the consumers. Residents reported the matter, protested against the water situation and wanted the authorities to handle the situation (Felton, 2016). The crisis was meant to avert the water route and fix the problem however the damage has been done, and the pipes are still leaking, and contamination is an ongoing issue. The total cost of the failure has not been exactly calculated however it has been estimated to be somewhere in billions (Felton, 2016).
The reasons for the failure of the project were the lack of foresight and insight into the consequences of changing the water routes. Also, the authorities in-charge did not consider the old pipes or the contamination issue which could arise because of the switch. Hence, failure was evident when the financial conditions of the city were not in compliance with the project undertaken.
References
Admin. (2016, May 24). Flint Michigan – water. Retrieved September 7, 2016, from
http://calleam.com/WTPF/?p=8142
Admin. (2015, March 18). Target Canada. Retrieved September 7, 2016, from
http://calleam.com/WTPF/?p=7467
Castaldo, J. (2016, January 22). What really went wrong with target Canada. Retrieved
September 7, 2016, from http://www.marketingmag.ca/brands/what-really-went-wrong-with-target-canada-166300
Devereaux, B., & Bdeverea. (2016, January 14). Flint water crisis: How Michigan failed its
people. Retrieved September 7, 2016, from http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/01/flint_water_crisis_what_you_ne.html
Felton, R. (2016, August 5). Flint water is improving, but the city will need financial help, mayor
says. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/aug/05/flint-michigan-water-lead-contamination-financial-aid
Ganim, S., & Jorgensen, S. (2016, March 26). Flint water task force finds injustice, government
failure at every level. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/25/us/flint-water-crisis-task-force/
Northrup, L. (2016, January 22). 15 things we learned about the downfall of target Canada.
Retrieved September 7, 2016, from https://consumerist.com/2016/01/22/9-things-we-learned-about-the-downfall-of-target-canada/
Wahba, P. (2015, January 15). Dumpy locations, empty shelves, and poor pricing compared to
Wal-Mart doomed target’s efforts in Canada. Retrieved September 7, 2016, from International, http://fortune.com/2015/01/15/target-canada-fail/
